GREENHOUSE FLOORS

[JeffWhiteDevil]

I’m in the process of building a small greenhouse, and now its time to do the floor. I want to put in a wood floor because of the cold, but it would be easier to use gravel. I’m not doing bricks because of the cost and work involved. I already have the wood, but I can get the gravel I would need for free, so cost isn’t an issue.

What do other people from cold climates use for a floor in their greenhouses???

Jeff

[daiv]

Hi Jeff,
Not exactly sure where you are located, but I assume you are thinking of heating the greenhouse in winter?

I use pea-rock for my floor.



It is a few inches thick and I really like it because it is clean and lets water through and keeps weeds down.

When you say you would use wood because of cold, it really wouldn't help with cold much unless you were planning on insulating underneath it. But that would not be necessary either as you would loose way more heat through the glass/poly than the floor.

So I'd say go with the gravel.

[JeffWhiteDevil]

Thanks for your response! Gravel sounds best. You have some very nice plants in that greenhouse.

Jeff

[paul280981]

Nice greenhouse!!

So the gravel just soaks up the water when you water the plants?

Is that a Suguaro in the black pot? Any idea of it's age?

[daiv]

Yes the water drains right through the gravel. It is usually quite warm in there when I water so the surface dries quickly too. The pea rock is about 3-4 inches deep at least.

The plant in the black pot is P. pringlei. There is a saguaro in the back right - the one that is leaning. I'm going to have to fix that this spring.

[Ralf]

Another possibility is concrete for the floor. It is in my greenhouse since many years ago and it is in a cold climate here in Germany.
On the one hand it can store the heat during the day and give it back in the night, but on the other hand you don't have a drain in your greenhouse.
If you use concrete for the floor, you shouldn't forget a isolation under the concrete.
There are a lot of possibilities for your floor.

[JeffWhiteDevil]

I did gravel for now, but someday i may upgrade to a concrete, or possibly a wooden floor. The thing I don't like about gravel is you can't really sweep it like you can a solid floor. I think I will do some painting today.

[daiv]

Post pics of your setup if you can!

[majcka]

I don't exactly know what do you mean with cold climates; but I have concrete floor. Maybe some daj it will be lined with ceramic tiles.